this cant be good!

[jamesmcb]

Hey everyone, I mentioned in a previous post that my tachometer cable kept getting unscrewed, and I kept having to screw it back on....Well take a look at these pics from the front of my bike, right where the cable plugs into the bike from the tach....  It looks terrible, like i'm leaking something....What is that piece with all the fluid on it and what is that fluid??  All I know is that when a motor is leaking a fluid, any fluid, it is usually bad.....I dont know much else about motors...  Any clue as to what is causing this leaking or what fluid it is that is leaking?  Is that gasket blown right there that is causing it to leak maybe?  Any help would be greatly appreciated!!  Here are pictures of what im talking about...

[Jace009]

that would be motor oil...check the dip stick :lol:  no pun intended.

are the threads striped out? you might beable to have success if you put a dab of high temp silicon sealer on the threads

[Jace009]

for to mention to also double check the valve cover gasket [it looks ok but that can be deciving] make sure their all about the same tightness, two clicks pass snug

[Jenerator]

First, clean that poor thing up, man! Mine is a '92!  :lol:

[jamesmcb]

Ok, so I make an idiot of myself for the second time on this forum......  I asked a friend what he thought of the stains, and he said that meant I had overfilled my oil....so we went to check the oil....and sure enough, here's where my stupidity shone....I had been checking the oil on the bike while it was on its kickstand eversince i got the bike.  Come to find out, your supposed to check it on the centerstand (when the bike is upright) , but me being the complete imbacil that I am didnt know that.....  So I was filling the oil up way way way to high and I guess it was ejecting it out of the front gasket somehow because it had nowhere to go??  Here's my next idiot question though....did that ruin the gasket since it was putting so much pressure on it?  Should I get it looked at and maybe replaced or should it be fine?  

[Mk1inCali]

I'd say try running it for a while with the correct amount of oil in it, see what happens within a hundred miles or so...Should be enough time to see if it's leaking or not if you clean it now and compare in 100 miles.

Edit-Don't worry about making yourself look stupid in this forum, happens all the time, and we are all for everybody learning!!

[scratch]

It's very dirty which means it is a slow and minimal, non-threatening leak.
I would suspect either the crankcase breather gasket or the gasket on the tachometer cable housing. Once you clean it off, check it daily to see if you can locate the origin of the leak.

[Jenerator]

Put it on the centre stand, loosen the oil drain bolt and drain out a bit of oil at a time, checking the dipstick in between.

Once you've got it to the correct level, make sure your drain bolt is tightened properly, wash the engine thoroughly, and take it for a short ride.  When you get back, put it back on the centre stand and check for leaks.

If it's leaking, replace necessary seals (or bring to a shop for this).

You can give your tach cable ends an extra little bit of tightening by using a pair of pliers.  Don't use loc-tite.

[jamesmcb]

ok, thanks guy's, I got the excess oil drained out of it, and tried to clean it up a bit, but I was wondering what you guy's use to clean yours..... That '92 looked real nice!!! How'd you get it that shiny?  What kind of degreaser do you use or whatever?

[Jenerator]

Just go to your local auto parts supplier and grab a degreaser by any reputable brand name and a nylon bristle brush that you can get into nooks and crannies with.

You could also go with S100 Total Cycle Wash, which is good...be sure to follow the instructions with it though...

Mine was given extra TLC when it was cleaned up...did you see the 'before' pics? (Check my website..)

[jamesmcb]

Holy Crap Jen, you made that bike go from an old piece of junk to looking brand new.  Did you do all that yourself??  That must have taken a LOT of TLC.....amazing!!

[Kerry]

Hey Jen, one for the data banks...

In your "Before" set of photos I noticed one that showed the VIN plate.  But the entire number was "censored"!

Would you consider sending me a photo of the plate with just the final several characters blacked out?  The letters printed on the plate, and the ones stamped in it (up to the model year letter) are all that I'm after.  I would like to know how the numbering system differs between Canada and the US, if at all.

For example, here is my VIN plate:


As far as I know, the printed JS1GM51A appears on all '89-'00 GS500s in the States.  The 'X' in the stamped part designates the 1999 model year.  The rest of it is the actual identifier for my frame.

I know that European bikes have different prefixes.  In fact, I think that UK bikes are numbered differently than Continental ones, but I'm not sure about that.

See this page from the Haynes manual for (almost  ) everything I know about it.

PS - Any idea why the frame number stamped into the right side of the steering head was obliterated?     (See photo P7010299 on your 2nd "Before" page.)

EDIT: I guess it needn't be a photo.  Just a transcript would do....

[sledge]

A turn or two of PTFE tape on the threads will stop the cable bezels from becoming loose.

[Jenerator]

James - yeah, it took a lot of time in the parts washer and various other chemicals to get her that clean (the amount of labour would've been over $2000 if I had been a regular customer!).  I'm ashamed to say that she has been dirty for over a month now, because I'm lazy and it's been a little cold outside to wash her, but she will be cleaned up before being put away for the w**ter.

Kerry - PM sent.